Garment manufacturing means and method



April 11, 1967 A. SOLOMON 3,313,256

GARMENT MANUFACTURING MEANS AND METHOD Filed June 7, 1963 2 $heets-$heet 1 ATTORNEYS April 11, 1967 A. SOLOMON 3,313,25

GARMENT MANUFACTURING MEANS AND METHOD Filed June '7, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG4 J INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,313,256 GARNENT MANUFACG MEANS AND IVEETHOD Alison Solomon, Framingham, Mass, assignor to Garland Knitting lVills, Jamaica Plain, Mass., at corporation of Massachusetts Filed June 7, 1963, Ser. No. 286,422 Claims. (Cl. 11225) The present invention relates generally to garment manufacturing and more particularly to an improved means and method for reinforcing garments.

In the manufacture of garments, particularly knitted sweaters and the like, in which buttonholes are used, it is common to reinforce the edge of the fabric by sewing a reinforcing ribbon behind the area in which the buttonholes are to be located. Reinforcement ribbon such as grosgrain ribbon is sewn to an edge of the fabric along a straight line corresponding with a Wale of the fabric by a sewing machine operator. It is important to form the line of stitching with the ribbon and fabric in perfect, predetermined alignment, or else, when the ribbon is folded over to form a backing the exposed edge of the fabric will not conform to the desired shape. Operators performing this sewing step must be carefully trained for about three months before they can sew the reinforcing ribbon with the required accuracy. Even after thorough training, operators periodically, incorrectly position the ribbon and fabric thus rendering almost finished garments useless for sale as quality products.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide a method for accurately and efficiently positioning and sewing a reinforcing ribbon to a material, which method may be carried out by relatively unskilled labor.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method in accordance with the preceding object which consistently produces correct positioning of materials along predetermined lines.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method in accordance with the preceding objects which may be easily carried out on relatively inexpensive machinery in a rapid and efficient manner.

it is a still further object of this invention to provide an apparatus which is particularly useful in carrying out the method of the preceding objects.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a reinforcing ribbon which is specially formed for use in the preceding method and apparatus.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a ribbon in accordance with the preceding object which may be mass-produced in accordance with substantially conventional manufacturing procedures and a rapid and efiicient manner.

According to the invention, a conventional looper machine is used in conjunction with specially designed guides to carry out the method of the invention. The guides preferably comprise a first guide having a longitudinally extending passageway allowing a ribbon to slide within the passageway. A second guide continuously directs the ribbon from a storage or supply reel to the first guide. The first guide has elongated channels allowing needles which extend radially from a disc of the looper machine to pass within the guide and be positioned within preformed holes provided in the ribbon. The needles pick up the ribbon and carry it along an arcuate path to a station where an operator places a fabric to which the ribbon is to be sewn, on the needles, with a line of stitching of the fabric, adjacent the reinforcing ribbon. Both the fabric and ribbon which are thus properly aligned, are carried to another station where a conventional sewing machine sews the tape to the fabric along a line determined by the row of needles.

Preferably the tape or ribbon is a conventional reinforcing ribbon in which two successive warps or longitudinally extending threads are spaced at greater distance from each other than any other two successive warps. Thus, wefts of the ribbon define a plurality of successive equally spaced apertures formed in a straight line along the length of the ribbon. in some cases the ribbon may be formed with holes aligned along the length of the ribbon as by a punching or piercing means.

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view illustrating an apparatus of this invention;

FIG. la is a fragmentary, perspective view illustrating in enlarged form a detail of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a guide thereof;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 and FIG. 4a are views through a ribbon sewn to a fabric in accordance with this invention; and,

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken through line 55 of FIG. 3.

With reference now to the drawing and particularly FIG. 1 an apparatus 10 of this invention is illustrated. The apparatus 10 has as a basic component a conventional looper machine partially illustrated at 11. A storage and supply mechanism 17, knock-oft plate 22, feed guide 15 and a conventional sewing machine 29 are successively arranged about the outer peripheral edge of the looper machine 11.

The looper machine 11 is preferably a conventional looper commonly used in the knitting industry. Such loopers have a top stationary, preferably horizontal disc or platform 14 and a lower outer rim 12 mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane about an axis 18 of the looper. An outer peripheral vertical edge 19 is formed by the rim 12 with a plurality of radially extending needles 13 aligned in a horizontal plane and extending approximately to of an inch apart about the entire outer circumference of the rim 12. The ends 13a of the needles define an outer peripheral circular edge of the looper 11. The rim 12 carrying needles 13 is adapted to rotate in a horizontal plane in the direction of the arrow shown at 20 in FIG. 1. Suitable drive means for the looper (not shown) are provided in a conventional p manner.

The ribbon storage and supply mechanism 17 is mounted on the platform 14 by means of an upstanding bracket 23 having a base 23a bolted to the platform. An axle 24 is mounted in the upper end of bracket 23 and carries a removable locking dog 26 at an outer end.

A ribbon supply reel 27a is mounted on the horizontal axle 24 which allows rotation of the reel to play-off the ribbon 27. Preferably a small coil spring 25 is positioned on the axle 24 under compression between the dog 26 and the reel 27a to act as a drag clutch and prevent the reel from sliding along the axle 24. An arm 28 extends outwardly from the bracket 23 and has an angle mounting bracket 29 attached to an outer end. Preferably a conventional screw and slot arrangement 29a is employed in the bracket 29 allowing the bracket to be raised or lowered by suitable adjustment of the slot and screw 29a. One end of bracket 29 is welded or joined by conven tional means to a first supply guide 16.

The supply guide 16 acts as a means for changing the direction of the tape 27 from vertical movement to horizontal movement. Thus, the first end 16:: of the guide 16 is located directly beneath the reel 27a while a second end 16b of the guide opens adjacent the rim 12 allowing the tape 27 to be fed through guide 16 spaced from and in the same general direction of movement as the rim 12. Preferably the guide 16 is a length of rectangular sheet metal which has been folded intermediate its ends so that the first end 16a defines an opening and guide portion having an axis 90 opposed to the axis of a second opening 161) and guide portion thereof. The sides of the rectangular sheet are flared angularly to the center portion to form a C-shaped cross section along the length of the sheet. The channel formed in the guide 16 is preferably dimensioned to slideably receive the ribbon and is slightly wider than the width of the ribbon 27. Pins 30a extend parallel to the center portion of the sheet and are secured at their ends in the flared sides at either end of guide 16. These pins 30a retain the ribbon which passes between them and the center portion in the guide 16 as it passes therethrough.

The second guide positions the ribbon on the needles of the looper rim after receiving the ribbon from the first guide 16. The guide 15 is preferably mounted on the platform 14 by a right angle bracket bolted to the platform with a threaded spindle 31 vertically mounted in an aperture formed in an extension end 32. The spindle 31 is welded or joined by conventional means to the guide 15 at a lower end and carries lock nuts 33 and 34 which may be raised or lowered as desired to lock the guide 15 in its proper predetermined position. As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the guide 15 has a Cshaped cross section with a rear wall 35 and with upper and lower walls 36 having angularly flared lips 36a which define the channels 37. A slide member 38 is slideably received adjacent the inner surfaces of the lips 36a as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5. The slide member 38 comprises an elongated flat plate with an angular portion forming a handle 40 suitable for sliding the said plate within the guide 15 into position as shown in the drawings. The member 38 and the rear wall 35 form a longitudinally extending passageway 41 through which ribbon 27 is adapted to be moved. The passageway 41 and conse quently the ribbon passing through it intersect the circumference of a circle defined by the tips of the needles 13a at an acute angle to a line drawn tangent to the circumference of the circle at the point of intersection. A transverse channel 42 is formed in the guide 15 by holes in the rear wall and lower lip 36a. The channel 42 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 allows needles 13 to progressively pass into the guide member and mesh with the preformed holes in the reinforcing tape or ribbon 27, and then continue through the channel, pulling the ribbon through the guides from the storage reel 27a.

Preferably elongated upper and lower needle guides 44 and 43 are mounted on the back of the wall 35 and comprise fiat metal strips extending from above and below channel 42 and curving towards and intersecting the circumference formed by the circumference of the tips of the needle. Upper needle guide 44 and lower needle guide 43 act to straighten any of the needles 13 which may become bent during the sewing procedure and precisely guide the ends of the needles into the channel 42. The longitudinally extending passageway 41 and transverse channel 42 cooperate to feed the ribbon from the guide 15 onto the needles 13 as shown in FIG. 1 with the ribbon 27 substantially lying adjacent the edge 19 in an upright position as shown.

A conventional sewing machine 20 of the looper operatively engages the needles 13 and is preferably spaced from the guide 15 a suflicient distance to allow an operator to position material on the looper needles 13 as will be described.

A conventional knock-off plate 22 is mounted on the stationary platform 14 preferably just before the storage and supply guide 16 as best seen in FIG. 1. The plate 22 has an outer angled edge 22a designed to knock-off the reinforcing ribbon and fabric which have been sewn together by the sewing mechanism as the rim 12 rotates carrying the ribbon and materials past the plate 22. Thus, the outermost portion of the knock-off plate 22 extends at least to the circumference of the circle formed by the ends of the needles 13. Preferably the plate extends approximately 1 inch past the circumference described.

Preferably the reinforcing ribbon used in this apparatus is a grosgrain ribbon as shown in FIGS. 4 and 4a having heavy wefts 60 and lighter warp threads 61. When the ribbon is made, two successive ones of said warp threads 62 and 63 are spaced a greater distance from each other than any other two successive ones of said warp threads, preferably nearer one marginal edge of the ribbon so that equally spaced apertures 64 are defined by the wefts 6 1 along a straight line extending the length of the ribbon. In other embodiments of the invention, conventional plastic or woven ribbons may be formed and holes punched or otherwise formed along their length.

The ribbon may be sewn to any material such as garment material including textiles and knitted fabrics, and may be used as reinforcement means for buttonholes or for other purposes. For example, and preferably, the edge of a knitted sweater portion may be sewn to the tape 27 as partially illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 4a. The sweater portion comprising a material or fabric 65 is preferably made of a knitted yarn having one wale removed or eliminated during the knitting procedure to form a row of openings similar to the row of openings formed in the tape 27. These openings serve to direct an operator to position the knitted material 65 in correct position on the looper rim by aligning the row of openings 66 formed by the elimination of Wale with the needles and consequently with the row of openings formed in the ribbon 27.

In the preferred form of the invention the tape 27 and knitted material 65 are sewn together with the face of the material 65 touching the ribbon and folded over as shown in FIGS. 4 and 4a whereupon buttonholes may be formed in the knitted material through the reinforcing ribbon 27 which acts as a supporting and reinforcing backing. Only a portion of the line of stitching 70 is shown in FIG. 4 to simplify the drawings, Alternately, the reinforcing tape may comprise an edge or mounting of a zipper portion to be sewn to a sweater or other garment. The reinforcing tape may be used as a seam binding tape and sewn to the conventional materials using the apparatus and methods of this invention.

The method of this invention comprises generally feeding a reinforcing ribbon along a predetermined path onto an aligned group of successive needles, feeding a material to be sewn to the reinforcing ribbon onto the aligned group of needles along a predetermined path adjacent the ribbon and sewing the ribbon and the material together along a predetermined line. The method may be carried out in the apparatus 10 by actuating the looper machine 11 so that the rim 12 turns in the direction of the arrow shown at 20 carrying the needles in a continuous revolving path. An end of the ribbon 27 which passes through storage and supply guide 16 and guide 15 is positioned by pushing the openings 64 onto the needles directly adjacent the guide 15. The moving needles from this point on carry the ribbon continuously around the peripheral edge of the rim 12 until the knock-off plate 22 removes the ribbon. Previous to passage through the sewing machine 20 the material such as 65 having one Wale removed is placed .by an operator on the needles as shown in FIG. 1 with the needles passing through the openings preformed by the removed wale. Thus, the ribbon and material 65 are in perfect alignment. The ribbon and material are then carried by the neeedles through the sewing machine 20 where a line of stitching such as shown at 70 in FIG. 4 is formed. After the sewing operation, the sewn ribbon and fabric are carried around the circumferential edge of the machine until the knock-off device 22 knocks the sewn ribbon and fabric from the needles, whereupon they drop into a suitable collection zone. Preferably the operation is continuous and successive sweaters or other small articles may be positioned by an operator adjacent the tape cotinuously as it is carried along or a single elongated fabric may be positioned adjacent the ribbon by an operator and continuously removed by the knock-off plate 22. In this method there is no guess work involved as to the straight line of stitching to be formed in the ribbon or in the fabric since the needles clearly define the line of stitching for the sewing machine. The only chance of error occurring is in the manual feeding of the fabric 65 onto the needles. When the wales are removed from the fabric the operator would have little or no problem in determining the line. However, skilled operators usually have little difi'iculty in properly feeding the fabric 65 onto the needles, even when a Wale has not been removed, Thus, FIG. 1 illustrates the fabric 65 being fed onto the looper without the use of preformed holes 66. Alternatively, and if desired, instead of removing a wale, holes may be otherwise provided or the line can be marked by crayon or other conventional marking means.

The specific embodiments of this invention as described above are by way of example only. Those skilled in the art may now make numerous variations. For example, pieces of materials of various types may be sewn together, the storage and supply mechanism may be varied, as by locating the storage supply reel in a horizontal position rather than a vertical position with respect to the rim and in some cases, the slide 38 may be an integral part of the guide member 15. In some cases the material 65 may be fed onto the needles previous to feeding of ribbon 27. In order to be concise vertical and horizontal positions have been described; however, it is possible to mount the rim 12 for rotation in a vertical or other plane with corresponding changes in positions of other mechanisms.

Thus, while there have been described what are presently considered to be preferred embodiments of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, and it is therefore aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as are apparent in the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for feeding a reinforcing ribbon to a disc having a plurality of radially extending needles mounted on a peripheral edge thereof with said needles lying in a first plane, said apparatus comprising,

a guide for guiding an elongated reinforcing ribbon onto said needles,

said guide defining an elongated passageway extending laterally of said guide substantially in a second plane at an angle to the plane of said plurality of needles,

an uninterrupted elongated channel defined by a portion of said guide in the plane of the needles for successively receiving a plurality of said needles,

and means for continuously supplying said guide with said elongated reinforcing ribbon.

2. In an apparatus for sewing a reinforcing ribbon to a fabric with said appartus comprising,

a textile looper machine having a plurality of circularly arranged, radially extending needles with tips of said needles defining an outer perimeter,

the improvement comprising an elongated guide having a C-shaped cross section defining a rear wall with upper and lower walls having angularly flared lips,

a slide member positioned in said guide and retained by said lips,

said rear wall and said slide defining portions of a longitudinally extending passageway through which a thin elongated ribbon is adapted to slide from a first end to a second end of said guide, said second end of said guide defining a transverse channel intersecting said passageway and positioned so as to intersect said outer perimeter whereby said needles may successively pass into said transverse channel. 3. A method of attaching a reinforcing ribbon to a fabric along a straight line, said method comprising,

feeding a reinforcing ribbon having a row of preformed 10 apertures onto radially extending needles of a looper machine with ones of said needles passing through ones of said apertures,

feeding a fabric to be attached to said ribbon onto said needles adjacent said ribbon, and,

sewing said fabric to said ribbon by means of a sewing machine located in engaging relationship with said needles.

4. A method of attaching a ribbon to a fabric along a predetermined line, said method comprising,

selecting a ribbon defining a longitudinally extending row of openings,

feeding said ribbon onto an aligned row of needles with successive ones of said needles positioned in ones of said openings,

feeding a material to be attached to the reinforcing ribbon onto said needles so that said ribbon and material are in overlapping relationship, and

attaching said ribbon to said material along a line corresponding to the line formed by said needles.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein said material is a knitted fabric defining a row of openings corresponding to the positioning of said row of needles and said knitted fabric is fed onto said needles with successive ones of said needles positioned in successive ones of said fabric openings.

6. A method of attaching a ribbon to a fabric in overlapping relationship along a predetermined straight line, said method comprising,

selecting a ribbon having a longitudinally extending row of openings lying in a straight line, feeding said ribbon onto radially extending needles aligned in a plane and mounted on a circular rim so that ones of said needles enter into ones of said openings and said ribbon is carried in an arcuate path,

feeding a material to be attached to the ribbon onto said needles so that said ribbon and said material are in overlapping relationship and,

attaching said ribbon to said material along a straight line corresponding to the line formed by said ribbon openings.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said attaching comprises sewing said ribbon and material together by use of a sewing machine operatively engaged with said needles.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said material is a knitted fabric defining a row of openings corresponding to the positioning of said aligned needles and said knitted fabric is fed onto said needles with successive ones of said needles positioned in successive ones of said fabric openings.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said ribbon is a grosgrain ribbon and ones of said needles are positioned in successive ones of said openings.

10. An appartus for feeding a reinforcing ribbon to a disc having a plurality of radially extending needles mounted on a peripheral edge thereof with said needles lying in a first plane, said appartus comprising,

a guide for guiding an elongated reinforcing ribbon onto 70 said needles,

said guide defining an elongated passageway extending laterally of said guide substantially in a second plane at an angle to the plane of said plurality of needles, a channel defined by a portion of said guide for successively receiving a plurality of said needles,

7 8 and means for continuously supplying said guide with 1,575,357 3/1926 Milner 2274 said elongated reinforcing ribbon, said supply means 1,672,021 6/ 1928 Cohen 112-26 comprising a spool holder and a second guide, 1,700,067 1/ 1929 Merriam 2274 said second guide comprising means for changing di- 2,060,631 11/1936 Myers l12-152 rection of travel of said tape from said spool holder 5 2,322,382 6/ 1943 Moore 139-384 to said first-mentioned guide with said second guide 2,518,552 5/ 1950 Kaplan 11225 defining an elongated curved passage having a first 2,868,147 1/ 1959 Wood 112-25 portion and a second portion, said first portion allow- 2,977,998 4/ 1961 Grimm 139-3 84 ing entrance of said ribbon along an axis defining 3,154,033 10/1964 Roy 112-152 substantially a 90 degree angle with .an axis of said 1 second portion which allows discharge of said ribbon 0 FOREIGN PATENTS from said second guide. 1,113,352 3/1961 Ge y- Refe -ences Cited by the Examiner Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner.

1,402,977 1/1922 Strobeck 112-1s2 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING A REINFORCING RIBBON TO A DISC HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING NEEDLES MOUNTED ON A PERIPHERAL EDGE THEREOF WITH SAID NEEDLES LYING IN A FIRST PLANE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, A GUIDE FOR GUIDING AN ELONGATED REINFORCING RIBBON ONTO SAID NEEDLES, SAID GUIDE DEFINING AN ELONGATED PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING LATERALLY OF SAID GUIDE SUBSTANTIALLY IN A SECOND PLANE AT AN ANGLE TO THE PLANE OF SAID PLURALITY OF NEEDLES, AN UNINTERRUPTED ELONGATED CHANNEL DEFINED BY A PORTION OF SAID GUIDE IN THE PLANE OF THE NEEDLES FOR SUCCESSIVELY RECEIVING A PLURALITY OF SAID NEEDLES, AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING SAID GUIDE WITH SAID ELONGATED REINFORCING RIBBON. 